


Rung gets a Pet and it gets Weird

by Spindlly



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alien Biology, Alien Culture, And the human is gonna help him not be lonely, Angst and Feels, Except Rung knows they’re sentient and is determined to understand her, Explicit Sexual Content, Good boi Rung is here to help keep the depression away, Language Barrier, Multi, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Smutt, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, humans as pets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:35:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22675687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spindlly/pseuds/Spindlly
Summary: Ratchet told Rung to get a pet because he was overworked and lonely. Rung hesitantly obliged.Now he has a human.And they’re very much not your average pet.
Relationships: Cyclonus/Tailgate (Transformers), Rung (Transformers)/Original Character(s), Rung (Transformers)/You
Comments: 58
Kudos: 214





	1. You’re sure this is a Good Idea?

“You should get a pet.”

Rung looked up from his newspad, taken aback. This was a sudden change from their usual chitchat. “Ratchet, I don’t think-“

“Ah-ah-ah! Save it.” Ratchet waved his servo impatiently as if batting away excuses. “We both know you hardly get out. When you’re not in your office, you’re at home building those models of yours over and over again all by your lonesome. You need some companionship, Rung.”

Rung grimaced and set down the newspad. This topic again. “Ratchet, I’ve told you before, I’m quite alright by myself.” 

“Pitscrap,” Ratchet retorted, scowling over his cube of energon at him. “You’ve been by yourself for  _ far _ too long, and since you refuse to get out and socialize, you might as well bring the socializing to you. Like a pet.”

“I’m allergic to most pet varieties nowadays,” Rung reminded him. “And I barely have time to care for myself, Ratchet, a pet would only create more problems.”

Ratchet narrowed his optics at him pointedly.

“...is this another attempt of yours to tell me I need to work a little less?” 

“I’m the  _ king _ of working too hard, and even  _ I  _ know you need to take more time for yourself.”

Rung sighed, lacing his digits and grudgingly forcing himself to consider the thought. 

“A pet…” the psychiatrist wondered aloud.

He would have to take more time off due to the responsibility of taking care of this possible animal companion, but it might help reduce his own stress, if the pet was docile. Caring for a pet would encourage him to take better care of himself as well, so he could be able to manage both the pet and his patients. 

It would be a lot of work though, and if he didn’t choose wisely, he would also have to deal with messes, allergies, and/or do exercises to help work off any energy the pet had gained while he was out working. 

It had many pros and cons, but as much as he disliked the idea... Ratchet had a point, especially about companionship. A mech could only have so much solitude before loneliness started to consume him, and Rung could admit to himself that he had been starting to struggle with it the past few years. 

“Just get one, frag it,” Ratchet barked impatiently, jerking Rung out of his thoughts. “I’m sick of watching you droop like a half melted datapad whenever you head back to your empty place. You’re lonely and even  _ I  _ can see that.”

Rung sunk a little into his chair in embarrassment. That was more than a little mortifying. Had it really been showing that much?

“Yes.”

Rung flinched. “I don’t like how easily you can read me sometimes, you know.”

“Comes with knowing you for a long time,” Ratchet said dryly. “But it only shows more when you’re tired, don’t worry. The only reason I’m not reading you the riot act about overworking yourself is because I’m just as bad as you are, and I hate it when you point it out.”

The psychiatrist chuckled. “I suppose I can’t resist telling you the hypocrisy of that statement every time you tell me it, yes. But yes, we both need a break.”

Ratchet nodded. “But you especially. When was the last time you took a day off?”

“...”

“...Rung.”

Rung shifted in his chair, glad his glasses were on.

Ratchet pursed his lips. “Don’t make me put you on forced medical leave for chronic exhaustion.”

“I’ll see what I can do, alright?” Rung finally relented. He knew how stubborn his friend was, and was especially so when he was right. “I’ll take a few days off next week and go from there.”

“ _ Good.  _ And do some research. The more informed on pet types you are, the better.”

“Ratchet…”

Ratchet gave him a look, though there was a layer of warmth under the guise of sternness. “Doctor’s orders.”

Rung couldn’t help a slight smile. “...alright. Thank you.”

The medic nodded, and moved onto their next conversation topic as if nothing had happened. At the end of the day, Rung left… thoughtful.

——

A week later, Rung found himself wandering around inside the nearest pet shop he could find, fighting back sneezes from his allergies to a good chunk of the animals there and wondering why he had decided to follow Ratchet’s suggestion.

_ I wouldn’t have heard the end of it if I hadn’t at least come to look,  _ Rung reminded himself despairingly as he looked over a pair of prickletap hogs with lackluster enthusiasm, finding them about as interesting as the previous twenty various animals he’d looked at.

He hadn’t even been here thirty minutes and already his nasal strut was protesting this whole endeavor. His faceplate felt like it was on fire because of how hard his systems were working to keep the Metaldust dander out, and he was pretty sure the attendant nearby thought he would have some sort of stroke because of how badly his fans were going.

This was horribly embarrassing and even more horribly uncomfortable, but it was a needed escapade. Otherwise Ratchet would at best chastise him or at worst try to set him up with another blind date.

He shuddered. It wasn’t worth the risk.

“Excuse me, are you suffering an allergic reaction?” 

Rung turned to the mech that had approached him, a manager, and nodded weakly. “So sorry, I know I’m a bit of a scene at the moment.”

“Not a problem, sir,” the manager said brightly, taking him gently by the elbow joint and leading him outside. “Metaldust?”

Rung nodded again, embarrassed but glad to be out in the cleaner air, his systems already starting to calm down. “I know many people adore them, but their dander just absolutely ruins my olfactory and sensory systems.”

The manager laughed. “Oh, trust me, I understand. My friend has it too, it just wrecks him. Don’t worry about it. I can suggest some hypo-allergenic, alternative pets, if you like?”

“Yes, please.” Rung sneezed again, relieved to breathe clearly.

“Of course, sir! Do you prefer less active pets, or more interactive ones?”

“I’d prefer to be open to both, I’m trying to find something that will keep me company.”

The manager nodded, a look of interest on his face. “Trying to avoid being lonely?”

Rung nodded, hiding the stab of shame he felt. “A companionable sort of pet, yes.”

“Hmm... I have a perfect suggestion for you, but they can be tricky to keep happy and healthy,” he mused, a mischievous gleam in his optics. “Do you like challenges?”

Rung laughed a little. “I deal with challenges every day, I’m not opposed to another. All pets take work, just some more than others.”

“True, true! These though, they’re the most difficult around. But if you get them to like you, you have a friendship unlike any other pet we have.”

“...oh?” Rung raised his optic ridges.

“Yes! They’re partially sapient, a rudimentary species by the name of ‘Humans’,” the manager explained with pride. “They’re very picky with their owners, and they require a lot of attention and personal fine tuning to accommodate their needs, but they’re the most charming, adorable, and expressive creatures you can find, and they also come in a nearly immeasurable variety of shapes and personalities!”

Rung was taken aback. These ‘humans’ sounded very interesting, but did he really want a creature that needed so much work?

The manager seemed to sense his trepidation, and he leaned in conspiringly. “Would you like to come see our stock?”

Rung hesitated. “...”

“Humans are hypo-allergenic, absolutely harmless in fact, but they require a specific mix of air compound to live, so they’re kept in a separate environment from the others,” he added. “So your allergies won’t act up at all!”

Rung had reservations about taking in a pet that had to have its own atmosphere to live, but supposed… it wouldn’t hurt to look, at least. 

“Alright,” he said finally.

The manager beamed at him and led him to a separate section of the building, where they went into a sort of airlock before entering the actual room. 

The air was actually very pleasant, and the temperature was about 20 degrees Celsius, only a little bit cooler than usual. Small organic plants were set around the room on single shelves and tables, as were clear separate containers, each labeled differently.

“These are a fairly recent batch from our suppliers, and most are doing actually very well,” the manager said proudly, gesturing for Rung to come look at a specific container. “Come look!”

Rung obeyed, taking a look at the label first (‘Brown variety, adult male’) before looking inside.

He was instantly dubious. 

The creature inside was shaped like their own race, but much more fleshy and small. It couldn’t have been bigger than his fist, and was making an odd droning noise as it waved its limbs at them in an agitated manner.

“They’re organic?” Rung asked hesitantly, folding his hands behind his back. “Aren’t organics wasteful?”

The manager laughed, seeming to be delighted by the creature. “Not as much as you think, as long as you regulate their food properly. They each have their own habits and personalities, as I said, and those that are too violent or disgusting are weeded out from the batch.”

Rung wasn’t convinced, but went to look at the others.

They each had the same two-arms, two-legs, one head configuration as his own race did, but beyond that and the odd material they were made of, they varied greatly. 

Some were bigger, some were smaller, while others were generally rounder or more curvy in shape. They tended to be a soft off-white color, sometimes a darker brown, with darker, soft fibre coming from their heads. The females tended to have longer fibres, while the males had shorter ones. All of them were either interacting with each other, sleeping in soft, nest-like areas set out for them, or eating. A few made the angry sounding noises at him, but did nothing else.

“They seem to be a small race,” he marvelled, his interest having grown from dubious curiosity to a thoughtful inspection.

“Partially, but not fully. Very rudimentary technology, basic armor, basic transportation,” the manager informed him. “Many, many small governments were formed on their origin planet, but its not very orderly. Mostly chaos and war, as well as a slow destruction of their homes. An odd bunch, but adorable as pets, and wonderful companions, as I said. Bond animals.”

Rung nodded, his attention only partially on the manager. He had spotted a human away from the group of humans in its container, curled into a ball behind some of the shelter objects they had put in, and quivering gently.

“What’s wrong with that one?” He pointed out the little human to the manager, and as soon as he saw it, he grimaced.

“Some humans don’t deal with leaving their original home well, and suffer a form of deep anxiety and depression,” he explained, shaking his helm. “They usually eat or sleep too much, or too little depending on the human, and later on either recover or die. You probably shouldn’t get that one.”

Rung frowned. That was… very sad. Even animals could suffer from mental illness? Though the manager did say that they were partially sapient. Partially, but not fully. 

Something in his tank felt sick, all of a sudden, and though he wasn’t quite sure why, he knew that it was something about these humans. About how this mech played them off as pets. 

Looking at these creatures… he wasn’t convinced they were as dumb as this made them out to be.

But he couldn’t buy all these humans on just a  _ feeling.  _ Sentient or not, he could only get one, and investigate later. The humans should be alright in the meantime.

But... there was something in particular about that small, trembling human...

He… he couldn’t just… abandon it. 

He had a small feeling that if he left without it, it might not survive. And he could not allow that, sentient or not.

Rung looked up and met the manager's optics, dead serious as he gently picked up the small, trembling human and cradled it in his palm.

“I’ll take this one.”


	2. I Promise I’m Trying to Help you

Rung had never felt this much anxiety in a  _ long  _ time. 

The tiny creature was sealed away in a temporary container he held on his lap so it wouldn’t be harmed by Cybertron’s atmosphere. All the needed supplies, and extra, were in his subspace, and he had made sure the container was heavily padded as well before setting out, but seeing the human curled up in a tiny ball and shaking… he was worried it wouldn’t make it. 

Going home was nerve racking, since he had to take a transit, and he was afraid that the human would run out of air or be jostled too badly by the bus or- goodness gracious.

He didn’t know enough about the poor thing to know if they were okay or not, really, so he spent the entire time trying to keep the container still and trying equally as hard not to get an aneurysm from the stress of not being able to do anything to help it yet. 

It felt like the longest transit ride in his life. 

When it finally got to his stop, Rung could barely contain himself, and just about  _ ran  _ home in his haste to get the poor human into a better environment. 

Thankfully, his home was a small, secure one, and he had no trouble racing inside, setting the container down on the counter, and finding the climate controls.

He adjusted them to the needed atmospheric conditions before hastily opening the temporary container so it could breathe.  _ Was it alright?  _

He was almost frantic as he bent to look.

_It-_ _Oh!_

Rung let out a sigh of relief when he saw the human’s chest moving. 

_ Thank Primus _ .

It was breathing. It didn’t look in pain either, so he must have gotten the air right. 

_ I didn’t realize I’d get so nervous around organics… they’re so fragile. _

Now that it wasn’t in danger of suffocating or being jolted, he relaxed a little, and started pulling out the boxes of things he had bought per suggestion of the manager, setting them aside to be sorted and set out later for the human. 

Once they’d been unloaded, he picked up the datapad the manager had so helpfully provided him with, and turned it on.

_ ‘Humanity: How to understand and care for your exotic pet _ ,’ the title read.

Rung made a face. The title felt basic, and that didn’t sit with him well. Wouldn’t a book on such a ‘unique’ pet have a little more… flair? 

He still wasn’t sure these humans were pets in the first place, though...

The psychiatrist shook his head, then opened it to the contents and looked up ‘shaking’. 

Why was the human doing that? Were they afraid?

It took a bit of searching, but he eventually discovered it under ‘Basic Instinct’.

‘ _ Humans,’  _ it read,  _ ‘are known to be very instinct-driven creatures. When faced with a situation or creature they perceive as a threat, they will become afraid, and will follow the common fight or flight reflex most wild creatures have… which can range from running away, defending themselves, becoming hostile, or ‘Freeze up.’’  _

It linked a separate section of the book, which Rung flicked to.

_ ‘.... While the first three are the most common, humans with higher anxiety are known to ‘freeze up’, becoming rooted to the spot and often exhibiting multiple actions, such as loud cries, shaking, and weeping.’ _

Rung looked over at the human in concern. They  _ were _ afraid, just like he’d thought...

_ They are very much like us,  _ he realized, as he delved into more of the book. These humans exhibited reactions, emotions, and reasoning similar to the cybertronian race, according to this book, though the text tried to downplay their ‘sentience’. 

Rung was not fooled.

By the time he finished looking over the behaviors, basic culture, and common actions listed in the book, he was absolutely convinced that this was no animal _ ,  _ but a functioning, living  _ person _ who had likely been forcibly removed from their planet and brought to Cybertron against their will.

To be sold as  _ pets _ . 

He was  _ horrified _ . Had his species become so low as to enslave other species for mere  _ entertainment? _

_ What a race we have become…  _

Rung looked at the human with regret and shame, noting how it- no,  _ they _ were still curled up, shaking. Likely terrified, lonely, lost.

Looking at the poor thing, his spark clenched in empathy.

He hesitated. Maybe he could comfort them? Or would that make it worse? Maybe he-

_ Wait _ . 

Rung looked over at the boxes of human supplies, an idea forming.

Finding a way to communicate with them would clear up many issues between them. If he could find a way to understand and speak the human’s language, he could find out what they needed and properly help them, maybe even attempt to set their mind at ease.

The humans had technology, written documents. Perhaps…?

The psychiatrist began to open boxes and collect as much technology as he could find, carefully gathering them next to the container so the human could see what he was doing. 

The human had uncurled and sat up, watching him now with wide, nervous optics. Judging by the gentle rounding around their chest, he guessed they were female, but their fibres were cut short like plant fluff, so he was unsure. 

He decided to continue referring to them as ‘them’, since he didn’t know their gender yet.

He also didn’t want to scare them by hiding anything, or in any way really, so he made sure to show them what he was doing as he found each bit of electronics, even if he wasn’t sure they understood him.

Rung offered them a gentle smile when he couldn’t find any more technology, kneeling down so his head was level with the table, and carefully picked up a bit of technology. 

The human didn’t smile back. Rung didn’t blame them, but he couldn’t help but feel a little sad.

Extending a fine connector from his fingertip, he gingerly connected with the piece of technology he had picked up, hoping to take a look at the information within and possibly help figure out a way of verbal communication.

The data he found was…  _ ugh.  _ It made his head hurt, it was so basic. 

Like talking to someone, but every word they say is mixed up in their sentence, and the sentence is a hundred words long. Easy to do, but not at all easy to understand.

Rung disconnected from it after a moment, feeling ill. He had the data, it would just… take a few hours to sort out into a way he could understand. This process would be slow going.

The human was still staring at him, and his spark went out to them. He wanted to give them comfort, at least  _ something  _ to let this person know he was here for them, not their enemy.

Rung gently set his servo inside the container, index finger offered to the human with great care. He struggled to translate the words he wanted to say, the data shifting and changing as minutes passed… 

Until he finally found words.

“It is okay,” he told them softly, the words strange on his glossa, but the meaning clear, hopefully to the human, like it was to him.

The human’s eyes went wide, as big as oceans in a galaxy of stars, and Rung couldn’t help a little smile at the awed shock he saw in them.

“It is okay,” he repeated. Promising them that they were safe, that he would not harm them. “It is okay.”

The human looked at him for a moment longer, then slowly, warily, moved closer. A single step, then another, and another, until they stood by his hand, eyes on it, hesitating.

“It is okay.”

His spark swelled as the human rested their hand on the tip of his finger.

And then looked up at him.

And they  _ smiled _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Communication barrier? No worries, the gremlin has a solution that may or may not involve bonding over old eighties tunes


	3. Basic, if Mispronounced, Communication

The moment only lasted a minute or so, but thinking about it as he unpacked the boxes of human habitat/culture items, Rung knew that that little moment was important, having established a small amount of trust between them. 

The human seemed a little less anxious now, settling down in a comfortable spot in their container to watch him without so much as another sound. Rung let them be for the moment, knowing they would need time to adjust, and focusing on the many strange and tiny things he was finding in the boxes.

And many there were! He was astounded at the variety of different shapes, sizes, and materials used for each object, and he found more often than not that he could not identify the function of an item. 

Rung also found himself questioning the purpose of some items just from looking at their appearance. For example:

Who needed a long stick with a fluffy thing at the end? Why did they need it? What was it used for? Was it some sort of entertainment device? A lure of some sort? He had no idea, but the object certainly looked ridiculous.

Rung wiggled it in his fingers experimentally. The fluffy end sort of flopped around, but it did nothing else other than look somewhat pathetic in addition to it’s ridiculousness.

...the human was laughing at him. 

Rung suddenly felt very embarrassed for not knowing what this strange object was. Was it something obvious he was missing? He looked over at them, giving them a bewildered eyeridge raise. 

Grinning widely, they gestured for him to give it to them, and he obliged readily.

The human then proceeded to pretend to clean some imaginary debris off of their seat.

_ Oh _ .

It was a duster.

His shamefaced embarrassment must have shown in his face somehow, because the human was laughing at him again.

_ It appears the sound of humor is indeed universal,  _ he mused with a sheepish chuckle as he took the duster back, setting it down with the other items.

The human stood and looked at the stuff he had set out, then said something, looking up at him with curious optics.

“Oh, er…” He tried to find the human word for ‘repeat’ in his head _. _ “I don’t quite understand you yet, so please bear with me.”

The human blinked at him, and Rung remembered that they didn’t understand him either. 

_ Goodness… _ he thought for a moment, trying to figure out a way to convey his question to repeat themselves, and eventually settled with a circular gesture that he hoped conveyed said question properly.

“Say again?” He tried, repeating the gesture apologetically.

The human squinted at him, and Rung could practically see the words ‘what the heck is this weird robot trying to tell me’ written on their face.

He grimaced, and focused for a moment to dig up the human words for ‘say again’. The effort gave him a helmache, but it would help to facilitate better communication between them.

And hopefully less instances of trying to translate the human technologies data to get the words. He would prefer to  _ not  _ have to sort that out internally.

“Say again?” He repeated, this time in human, and did the gesture again.

The human’s face lit up, and they repeated themselves, more slowly this time, and while pointing at the items Rung had set out.

Did they want them? But they couldn’t all fit in the container. There were simply too many things, and far too little space. He frowned, trying to further understand what the human’s words meant, but with much difficulty.

The human sighed at him, then bumped their fist against the clear wall of the container, saying something short and firmly.

Rung tilted his head a little, confused. “Say again?”

The human bumped the container wall again, repeating themselves.

_ What…? _ Did they want out?

“Out?” He asked tentatively.

Another bump, this time with an enthusiastic nod. They repeated themselves once more, loudly and clearly. “Out.”

Ohh!! Rung nodded, understanding. He carefully dipped his servo into the container, and after a moment’s hesitation, laid it out, palm up.

The human eyed him dubiously, saying something in a sceptical tone. Rung smiled a little, sympathetic, but assured them it was safe. “It is okay.”

“It’s okay?”

“It is okay,” he promised.

They hesitated, then carefully inched onto his offered servo, careful not to stick any of their limbs into his joints, and settled down into the middle of his palm.

“Okay,” they told him, nodding to give him the go-ahead.

Slowly, carefully, he lifted his servo out of the container, the human wobbling a little and grabbing his thumb for balance.

“It's okay,” he assured them hastily, lowering his servo to the table to set it among the many items he had taken out of the boxes. The human scrambled off his servo as soon as it could, and proceeded to give him  _ such  _ a look.

Goodness, he hadn’t moved too quickly, had he? He’d tried to move slowly, but judging by that look, it hadn’t been slowly enough. 

“You don’t have to look so judgemental, I did try to be careful,” he mumbled in his own tongue, giving them an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry.”

The human’s heavy stare softened into one of surprise, and they tilted their head, questioning.

“...I’m sorry?” He repeated, as surprised as them. Had they understood his meaning, despite the different language?

The human repeated him, absolutely  _ butchering  _ the pronunciation.

_ Oh!! _

“I’m sorry,” he repeated, delighted to hear them trying to repeat him despite how badly they mangled it.

They tried again, and Rung couldn’t help the huge smile creeping onto his faceplates as they made a face and tried to say it again, to no better results.

_ That was absolutely adorable. _

After their fifth try, he lifted his servo to his mouth to hide a laugh, which got an admonishing look from the human before they too started to giggle.

“Say again,” he encouraged in Human once they both stopped laughing, gesturing hopefully for the human to continue.

“I’m sorry,” they said in Cybertronian, looking very smug when Rung clapped his servos together in proud approval.

“Very good!! You’re a quick learner,” he told them excitedly in his own language. “Certainly quicker than I am! Teach me ‘I’m sorry’, please?”

The human understood the ‘I’m sorry’ part, Rung’s tone indicating the other words were positive, and they beamed in pride. 

“I’m sorry!” They told him proudly, then said something in their language and looked at him expectantly.

He repeated them, excited. The human giggled again and had him say it a few more times before nodding in approval.

Having both learned the other’s words for ‘I’m sorry’ and encouraged by the small victory, the next few hours were spent teaching each other basic words and phrases while Rung pulled the rest of the stuff from the boxes. 

By the time they had finished for the day, they both had learned a substantial amount of words, and Rung had successfully set up a small (though temporary) habitat on the table for the human.

He had also managed to convey to them that he was going to build a bigger, better dedicated habitat as soon as he was able, so the human looked content, and, dare he say it, happy.

Rung hadn’t felt this proud of himself in centuries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rung be so focused on talking to the human, he completely forgot to ask her name, like a doofus. :p 
> 
> Smut and fluff to come, people. Rung’s gonna be doing some research, and he’s gonna find out much more than he bargained for :3


	4. My Name is Emily

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s more language barrier shenanigans :) Feedback appreciated!

Rung discovered that they didn’t do well if left alone for longer than six hours.

He had only gone out for a therapy session with one of his patients, but apparently his extended disappearance greatly stressed them, because he came home to the human having a mental breakdown.

…While sitting as far away as possible from a pool of various… objects. The human obviously needed a solid habitat with, er, plumbing facilities sooner than expected, because the portable one had malfunctioned, leaking… filth.

_ Ahem _ . 

It was unpleasant, but luckily he’d managed to calm them down and clean up the mess. Once that was done, he decided right then and there that he needed to finalize the vacation plans and then start work on the human’s own habitat, because it was painfully clear after the unfortunate event regarding the portable waste container that they needed it as soon as possible.

Rung had also realized just how  _ little  _ he knew about their biology while he was calming the human. 

_ Is it normal for them to be so… Fragile-seeming?  _ He had wondered, brushing his digit-tips gently across their back to soothe them as they cried. 

The material covering their protoform had done nothing to hide the texture of the delicate bumps of their spine, the feeling so uncomfortably delicate in comparison to his harder skin. The feeling had almost made him recoil in fear, concerned for their safety under his touch, but the human had pushed back into his digits, and so he had continued to stroke their back until they were calm.

_ Are they really as fragile as they look, or am I being overcautious?  _

He wasn’t sure at  _ all _ . He was afraid for the human, his lack of knowledge only making it worse,

_ Well, the more I know, the better I can help,  _ Rung had reasoned, gathering his composure. He wanted to make sure they got the best care he could give them, and for that, he needed time and knowledge. 

Thankfully, the vacation would give him time, both for the human and for himself, but he had to teach himself the facts, so he made sure the human-related datapads were on his berthside table for later reading. 

That done, he’d moved on to the subject of the human’s habitat. Which led to the present. 

Rung was in the middle of emptying the personal closet in his berthroom for the human, and was rediscovering many objects that he’d packed away  _ years  _ ago. 

The human, meanwhile, was sitting on his berth where he had left them, one of their ‘music players’ in hand while they watched him work, human-made music humming from the little machine they held.

The psychiatrist couldn’t understand the words of the song, of course, but the sounds he was hearing from it were pleasant. He also appreciated their company, and seeing the occasional smile on their face when he looked over to check on them was encouraging as he worked to clear the cluttered space of his closet.

And dear  _ primus,  _ it was messy...

He was  _ amazed _ at how his older models took up so much space. 

And frankly, it should be a crime for a stack of spare segway tires to take up as much space as it did. Though the real crime was how quickly the wheels wore out, truth be told…

Goodness, the reason he’d started taking the transit was because it was cheaper than replacing tires so often. He should really just throw them out and invest in better tires.

Rung sighed and set the tires aside. What he should  _ really _ do is put everything in the living room to be gone through and sorted later. Most of it needed to be looked at regardless, and he should really focus on getting the habitat set up...

The human seemed to pick up on his mild frustration, and called out something, stopping the music. 

Rung turned to them with a box of spare parts in his arms, raising a questioning optic ridge at them. 

They gestured him to put it down, scooting over to the edge of the berth and impatiently wiggling their legs off of it, making Rung nervous. 

“You should really be more careful,” he fretted, hastily setting down the box and going over to kneel beside the berth, nudging them away from the edge with a digit. “You could fall, and I really don’t want you to get hurt.”

The human made a face at his obvious concern, but scooted back obligingly, making a ‘calm down’ sort of gesture.

Rung nodded, relaxing a little. “Thank you.”

“Emily,” they said, clearly and loudly so he could hear them correctly. “Emily.”

“‘Emily,’” he tried, curious at what they were trying to teach him now.

“Emily.” They put a hand on their chest, looking very serious indeed.

Rung frowned a little, trying to determine the meaning. “Emily?”

“Emily.” They pointed to themselves, then raised their own optic ridge.

_ What are they- Oh!!! _

“Emily?” He repeated, pointing to them. “Is that your name?”

“Emily,” they repeated, starting to beam when they saw he was getting it. 

“Hello, Emily,” he said in her language, delighted. Their name!! That was their name!!! “Emily. Em-il-ee. Emily!”

They giggled, obviously pleased, and responded in one of the phrases he’d taught them. “Yes!! Very good!!”

Rung beamed back at them.  _ Humans are so cute. _

Emily then pointed at him, giving him an eager sort of ‘go on’ look. 

“Oh, my name?” He pointed to himself, and chuckled when they nodded enthusiastically. “I’ll try to translate it to your language as best as I can, hold on...”

How  _ would  _ he do that? He didn’t have a clear key to help translation in this regard… perhaps he could use a visual representation?

Rung got up, got a drawing pad, and came back, drawing a rather crude-looking house, and then a ladder leaning up against it. He wasn’t proud of his drawing skills, but he decided it was good enough for this example, so he circled one of the rungs of the ladder and then showed the drawing to them.

“Rung,” he said in his own language, tapping the drawing.

Emily attempted to say it and mangled it into something that sounded more like ‘rocketship’. Rung chuckled and said it again for them.

After a few more failed attempts, the human sighed loudly and touched the circled section of the drawing, the rung, and looked him square in the optics, saying something in their language.

He blinked, surprised by the color and depth of their gaze. Like a nebula, glimmering with unseen stars. 

Emily said it again, more pointedly, and then he understood. “Is that what you call it?”

They nod. “Rung.”

He tried it out, the feeling of his name translated to their language… odd. “Rung?”

“Rung.”

...He liked it. “Rung.” 

They pointed at him questioningly. “Rung?”

He nodded, smiling softly as he put a servo to his chassis like they had when first telling him their name. “Yes. Rung.”

“Rung!” 

Emily beamed at him with all the warmth of a thousand suns, and the psychiatrist could have sworn he felt his spark flutter in his chassis. 

_ You are one of the most beautiful creatures I have ever met. _

————

That night, Emily fell into recharge in a habitat one-fourth constructed, set up with a nice bed, co-planned layout for tomorrow’s work, and a temporary (but more reliable) waste system. Rung, satisfied, sat in his chair and looked into the datapads on humans.

And among the  _ scrap-ton  _ of information he got, many things stood out to him, but three things did  _ especially _ so:

1: With a certain type of Ultraviolet vision, human hair glows, and certain hidden patterns on human skin become visible, the most common being stripes. And most humans didn’t know this!!

2: Humans have the most densely sensor packed surface area out of the hundreds of sentient species documented so far, with ‘32 feet of nerves per square inch’, and some being even  _ more  _ sensitive. If Cybertronians had the equivalent, it would be like the entire frame being almost as sensitive as a seekers wing. No wonder humans wear those strange armorless garments!

3: Humans give off a complex but highly informative level of hormones and pheromones, and each have a unique scent that can be used for identification, though humans rarely notice. Some cybertronians with high enough nasal sensors can track and easily identify the physical and emotional state of a human. 

Rung was dumbfounded.

_ Are humans really so complex? They each are so unique physically, but they hardly notice, or can’t!  _

He was also  _ fascinated. _ And more than a little excited with the idea of being more able to understand how Emily was feeling on a day to day basis. 

Maybe he should drop by Ratchet’s medbay for a check-up soon, get up to date, make sure everything is running well. And perhaps get an olfactory upgrade?

And maybe a few other mods...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> May or may not be a Knockout of a special guest star next chapter. Also maybe a size kink and showers. Maybe. ;)

**Author's Note:**

> Pls comment and kudo it feeds the gremlin


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